In an elevator-type sorter of the conventional type, paper delivery rollers associated with each paper receiving shelf are driven by a toothed belt that extends along the side of the sorter housing. Each paper delivery roller is affixed to a shaft that is rotatably mounted in the sorter housing, and gears are attached to an extending end of the shaft and are driven by the toothed belt to turn the paper delivery rollers.
With the above-described construction of the prior art, provision of the toothed belt or similar driving mechanism to rotate the paper delivery rollers at each shelf position disadvantageously increases the number of parts and correspondingly raises the manufacturing cost of the sorter.
In view of such problems, the present invention is intended to provide an improved drive mechanism for the paper delivery rollers of an elevator-type sorter. In addition, it is intended that such a sorter be constructed of a reduced number of parts and manufactured at a significantly lower cost in contrast with the elevator-type sorter paper drive roller mechanisms of the prior known art.
These and other objects of the present invention will be apparent from the description of the preferred embodiment that follows and the attached drawings.